Just in time for the beginning of holiday wish-list writing, along comes BMW with two very tempting disruptions: the next generation of M-tuned sport-utility vehicles, the X5 M and X6 M.
The X5 and X6 are fresh off a redesign—the X6 even fresher than the X5—and the M models join a recently refreshed lineup of gas- and diesel-powered X5 and X6 models. The X5 M and X6 M feature sharper, lower styling cues that remain true to the less powerful models', inside and out. Count us as fans of the striking 21-inch alloy wheels.
The big news is the duo's massive power output: 567 horsepower from a twin-turbocharged V-8 engine, routed to all four wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission—no dual-clutch transmission here. That's an increase of 20 horsepower over the M models that they replace, and a shocking amount of horsepower regardless. The X5 M and X6 M may be capable of track days, but owners will likely use them to accomplish tasks more mundane. Brakes are ventilated and cross-drilled, and adjustable dampers return in three settings. We're eager to see whether this new generation of M sport-utes will be as capable in corners as it is in a straight line.
Like their predecessors, the X5 M and X6 M will be assembled alongside their less powerful SUV counterparts at BMW's production facility in Spartanburg, S.C.
Stay with Auto World News for complete coverage of the debut of the BMW X5 M and X6 M at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show, and look for them on the road in the first months of 2015.
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